Syndicated

With so many different streams of marketing out there, it’s hard for businesses to know what approach will work best and resonate most with their customers. One of the most popular ones in play right now? Content marketing, which marketing firm Data Connect defines as marketing that focuses on helping the customer.

Instead of just providing sales pitches, content marketing aims to inform the customer and to give them information to make them smarter buyers. The idea is that customers will come to see the source of the information as trustworthy and credible, rewarding them with their business and loyalty.

In a blog post, Data Connect shares some of the ways marketers can use content marketing to reach their goals, especially if they’re planning events:

Twitter chats – Being available to answer questions and encourage participation is a great way to get attendees engaged and involved. One good way to do this is to set up a Twitter chat before the actual event, getting your guest speakers to also be available online for a quick chat. Afterwards, you can post some of the tweets or the full conversation on your company blog. There are lots of reasons to do this – it promotes your event, it encourages your Twitter followers to register for it, and by getting retweets and mentions out there, the event will reach a wider audience beyond your own group of followers.

Infographics – Use this to attract future attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. The infographic can showcase the event’s attendance, buyer statistics, and its reach through online and social marketing. This can help prove return on investment.

Develop a content calendar – Instead of waiting until a few months before the event to start sending your customers content, a calendar can help you plan out what you’re writing each week, who you will target with your content, and how you will measure your returns. By being organized and scheduling this content earlier, attendees will remember your event, and people on your team will be encouraged to try out this system and measure their results. Head on over here for a content calendar template.

Consider creating a podcast – While there are millions of blogs out there, podcasts are much rarer – and this presents an opportunity. Check out this link to see how you can start creating podcasts.

Candice is a graduate of Carleton University and has worked in several newsrooms as a freelance reporter and intern, including the Edmonton Journal, the Ottawa Citizen, the Globe and Mail, and the Windsor Star. Candice is a dog lover and a coffee drinker.